


Atomic Chemistry

by kathillards



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Megaforce
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 11:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5161520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathillards/pseuds/kathillards
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jake has problems focusing on chemistry and he hadn't actually expected Noah to agree to anything that involves removing clothes. ―- JakeNoah</p>
            </blockquote>





	Atomic Chemistry

**Author's Note:**

> "don't you think you write too much about the megaforce kids making out on study dates -- " no. no i don't.

"Why do I need to know the atomic weight of nitrogen again? When will I ever in my entire life need to know this?"

_Thump_. His soccer ball drops down from the ceiling of his bedroom into his waiting hands. Jake stares at it for a moment, contemplating the difficulty of escaping this study session to go out and play soccer in his backyard. Probably too high, given his best friend sitting opposite him at the table.

"Tomorrow morning for the chem quiz," Noah answers, not even sparing him a glance as he dutifully scrawls out chemistry equations in his notebook.

"Yeah, but, like, after that?" Jake demands.

"Jake, you know if you put in half the amount of effort into studying as you do complaining about studying, you'd pass with flying colors.”

He makes a face at his best friend. Noah's unerring belief in Jake's academic capabilities is almost as annoying as his ability to be right all the time. "Maybe, but where's the fun in that?"

Noah rolls his eyes and doesn't dignify him with an answer. Jake wastes a precious few moments studying Noah instead of the scribbled disaster that is his notebook, cataloging his relative degree of intensity in studying for this quiz - higher than the average person, but not that high for Noah - so he knows how much he needs to study in comparison, and then a few more watching the sunlight scatter rays of light across Noah's skin before realizing what he's doing.

Noah seems to realize it at the same time because he asks, "What are you doing?" all fondly exasperated, still not bothering to look up. It would be annoying, if it wasn’t so like Noah to be able to carry on a conversation and know instinctively what Jake is doing while cramming chemistry facts into his brain at the same time.

"Thinking," he mutters which is a blatant lie because he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking in the first place. Noah does look up at that to raise an eyebrow and Jake adds sulkily, "This was a lot more fun with Gia."

Noah's brow furrows as he looks back down at his paper. "When have you been studying with Gia?"

Jake waves a hand and tosses his soccer ball between his hands. "No, like, when we were dating."

"So, last year?"

Jake throws the ball at him, and Noah catches it with one hand easily. "She used to make it a game to get me to study," he says, frowning at Noah. "Like, she'd take off one piece of clothing for -- "

Noah interrupts loudly, "I don't need to know this," and sets the ball down at his side like he has no intention of returning it.

Jake huffs and sinks back down against his headboard. "It wasn't that dirty, it was just... positive reinforcement."

"Wouldn't it just be a distraction?" Noah wonders, then shakes his head with a frown. "Nope, don't answer that, I don't wanna know."

Jake kind of wants to talk about it though, if only for the look on Noah's face, so he continues brightly, "Not until she was naked, no."

Noah tosses the ball at him, hard. Jake has to free both hands to catch it before it smacks him in the face. When he looks up, Noah is staring at him oddly. The expression wipes all memory of the times he’d spent alone with Gia in this room instead of Noah from his mind.

"What?" he asks.

Noah shrugs, glancing back down at his work. “Would that help you? Strip studying?”

Jake blinks. “Uh, are you offering?”

“Only if it’ll get you to complete your study worksheet,” Noah says, his voice way too casual and composed for the prospect. “What are the rules?”

“Um,” Jake says, his mind working overtime to catch up to Noah’s words. “Every answer I get right, you take something off? And vice versa for every answer I get wrong. And… uh, that’s pretty much it.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Noah says lightly. “Socks count as two articles or one?”

Jake has to think about it. “Two. I think. Well – it depends on how many questions there are, right?”

“How many do you have left?”

He glances down at his notebook. “Seven.”

Noah raises an eyebrow. “All right, then. Socks count as two. What’s the atomic weight of nitrogen?”

Jake stares at Noah, his brain short-circuiting. “I…” He doesn’t even know what nitrogen is anymore. “Wait, are you serious?”

Noah sighs and sets down his pencil. Jake’s stomach feels weirdly jumpy. “Look, I actually have plans tonight, but I’m not leaving here until I know you’re not going to fail. You know this stuff, you just have problems focusing. Maybe you just need – incentive.”

He rewinds the words in his head. “You have plans tonight?”

“Believe it or not, I have a life outside superheroing,” Noah says dryly. The sentence feels pointed, though Jake’s not sure why. “My mom wants me to go to dinner with her and her new boyfriend. Do you need a hint?”

Jake swallows. “Fourteen.”

“You have to know it beyond the decimal point, Jake. Also the standard of measurement.”

“I only know one of those, so you’re going to have to take it,” he retorts. “Standard of measurement is AMU.”

Noah adjusts his glasses to level a frown at him. “Fourteen point zero zero six seven, but fine.” He lifts one hand to the first button of his shirt, casually popping it open. Jake tries not to stare, tries not to focus on how Noah’s fingers don’t seem hesitant at all when his own nerves are going haywire, tries not to watch the way the shirt opens, one button at a time. He’s wearing another blue shirt underneath the flannel, so it’s not like it’s weird – except that it really, really _is_.

“What’s the next question?” Noah asks him, halfway done with his shirt. Jake’s gaze darts back up to meet his, finding Noah’s face open and curious, not even remotely embarrassed. He looks down at the worksheet crumpled in his notebook, his fingers jittery as he runs his pencil down the paper.

“Which of the following represents the correct formula for aluminum oxide?” he reads out loud. Noah shrugs the shirt off his shoulders and folds it carefully at his side, leaving him in just the blue t-shirt, the sunlight spilling over his bare arms. Jake looks away quickly.

“You should know that one,” Noah tells him. Jake sighs and circles the third choice, spinning his paper around to show Noah, who nods. “Told you.”

This time, he takes off one sock. Jake finds himself abruptly wishing that his mother allowed shoes in the house. His own feet feel suddenly bare, his mind comprehending how little he’s actually wearing compared to Noah.

He gets the next question wrong. It’s possibly because of how much his head is spinning, but at least Noah only looks mildly amused as Jake drags his black shirt up and over his head, tossing it aside hastily. It’s not the first time he’s been shirtless in front of Noah by far, but the energy in the room feels different than usual this time, more charged, more prickly, getting under his skin, heating up his face. He doesn’t know if he wants it to stop or change.

Three questions later, he’s in his boxers, Noah still in his jeans, though he’s added his other sock to his pile. Jake’s stomach seems to be roller-skating.

“See, you’re doing fine,” Noah says, folding up his t-shirt on top of his flannel. “You’re going to ace the quiz tomorrow.”

Jake stares at him for a moment, having half-forgotten that the purpose of this was meant to be helping him study. “Right,” he says slowly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Is it about chemistry? Because I’m not giving you hints.”

“No,” Jake says, shaking his head. “It’s something else.”

“You only have one more question,” Noah says with a sigh. “Can it wait? If you get distracted now – ”

“When did you get that scar?” Jake interrupts, and Noah goes still, his hand almost subconsciously coming up to touch the fading pink scar just under his breastbone, the lines old but still marring his skin. Jake inhales heavily, stomach churning. He knows Noah has scars, that they all do – but they all also get regular checkups by Tensou, get bandaged and fixed up, don’t let the wounds fester. This scar runs deep, even though the skin has healed over, Jake can tell because he’s had worse, but he’s always gotten his cleaned up as soon as he can.

And Noah hadn’t _told_ him.

“Just some monster,” Noah says quietly, dropping his hand back down to the table. “Don’t worry about it.”

“If it was just some monster, you would have gotten it fixed up,” Jake says. “Noah – ”

“It was Skatana, okay?” he says, his voice rising – not enough to be loud, but enough to make Jake stumble. “It was that last battle with him and his infinity blades attack and – god, Jake, it’s not important.”

“Of course it’s – ” Jake stops, pauses, takes a breath. When he speaks again, he makes certain his voice is calmer. “Then can I see it?”

Noah stares at him uncertainly. His mouth moves, but for a moment, no words come out. Finally, he manages to say, “Fine.”

Jake moves over around the table till he’s next to Noah instead of across, reaching out cautiously. Noah’s body is tense, but he doesn’t move away, even when Jake’s fingers brush the scar and he sucks in a breath. Jake looks at him in question, not sure if the scar still hurts, but Noah shakes his head, so he keeps his hand there, running over the pink mark in careful analysis.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he asks softly, his thumb swiping gently. When he looks up, Noah’s eyes are closed. “Does it still hurt?”

“No,” Noah says quickly, “it doesn’t hurt. I just didn’t – you guys gave me your swords to defeat him. I didn’t want to admit that his attack – that he had gotten through, that he had struck me through the suit, broken skin. I thought it would – I don’t know, cheapen what you gave me.”

“That has to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever said,” Jake tells him bluntly.

Noah chuckles a little. “Yeah, I know. It was dumb. But, you know, Emma was so – so proud, and she’d done so much for me, you all had, I just didn’t want to feel like I’d let you guys down. Even Tensou – he was so excited when we went back, that I’d defeated a general on my own, and when he asked if I needed anything looked at, I just – couldn’t.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Jake says, looking up to meet his gaze, “but you’re an idiot. And you put way too much pressure on yourself. And Emma would kill you if she knew about this.”

“I know,” Noah says, rolling his eyes, but he’s smiling a little. “I know all of that, but thanks.” There’s a pause where Jake’s touch lingers and their faces are a bit too close, and then Noah says lightly, “So, what’s the last question?”

Jake blinks, having to forcibly rewind his brain back to the topic at hand. Chemistry class and quizzes and tests seem a million miles away. “You know we have the same worksheet, right?”

Noah raises an eyebrow and Jake quickly drops his hand down, his cheeks warming. “I finished it last week,” he says, and Jake rolls his eyes. “You’ll have to remind me.”

“Something about ions and atoms and,” Jake hesitates, running his tongue over his lips, “chemical reactions…” Noah’s gaze can’t be where he thinks it is, can it? “…and… stuff.”

“Stuff?” Noah repeats in the same tone, light and casual, like they’re not sitting way too close. “I’m beginning to think I’m actually worse for your study habits than Gia was.”

“No kidding,” Jake says with a snort, feeling a bit of the pressure lighten over his chest. “She wouldn’t let me kiss her until I finished.”

Noah pauses. “Does that apply here?”

Jake struggles to keep his voice nonchalant. “Up to you.”

“Right,” Noah says, his eyes flickering up and down. “I – I have to leave in half an hour.”

Jake grins helplessly. “I know the atomic weight of nitrogen?”

Noah rolls his eyes, a laugh on his lips, and snakes a hand up behind Jake to curl around his neck and tug him in. The kiss lands messy and wet and sloppy, but he’s smiling, and Noah’s smiling, and they smooth it out eventually, so he thinks it doesn’t really matter how it starts. Noah’s lips are warm and soft, sending tingles down his spine, and Jake gets one hand around his back, over the muscles that had been a better gift from fighting Skatana than the scar on his chest, pulling him in close, making the kiss last.

Noah’s voice is out of breath when they break for a moment and he says, “Gia is going to die laughing when they find out about this.”

Jake spares a moment to reflect on that horrifying thought. “Maybe she won’t find out?”

Noah smiles fondly at him. “You know Troy and Emma have a bet going, right?”

Jake groans, dropping his head so it lands against Noah’s forehead. “Why am I always the last to find out about these things?”

“You should focus more,” Noah teases, bringing him back in to kiss him. “It would really help your grades.”


End file.
